Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Cover Song Algorithm (3)
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Kim Kwang-myeong stared intently at Ha Jae through the glass.
The guy had his eyes closed, nodding his head slightly to the beat.
The song Ha Jae had chosen was .
It featured a unique blend of the singer's emotion and husky voice, plus a high register that was tough for amateurs to hit, and it had been popular for a while.
'I never imagined, just a year before this song came out, that Ha Jae would ever be able to sing it in the studio.'
Kim Kwang-myeong briefly recalled the first time he'd met Ha Jae.
The guy had joined UJ around the same time as him.
With his delicate features, he'd auditioned because he wanted to be an idol.
Kim Kwang-myeong's first impression of Ha Jae wasn't bad at all.
He was one of the few trainees in the same grade, and he seemed like the quiet type who diligently did his own thing.
'I didn't know back then that I'd debut with Ha Jae.'
Up until then, Kim Kwang-myeong had thought he'd debut as a rapper.
Or at least work under CEO Oh as a full-time producer.
But then one day, CEO Oh had scrutinized his face from every angle and dropped a bombshell: "Kwang-myeong, you should be an idol too." If he hadn't been thrown into the idol practice room right after, that's probably what would've happened.
Anyway, Kim Kwang-myeong suddenly found himself an idol trainee, sharing a dorm with Ha Jae, going to the same school, and hanging out together a lot.
'We got pretty close back then.'
But when you spend that much time together, you're bound to clash at least once.
The kind of conflicts that pop up among teenagers.
'I know I'm not great at this stuff either. I get it, but did you have to say it like that?'
'No, I was just pointing out what needs fixing. Why are you overreacting? You could do so much better, but you psych yourself out every month-end eval and blow it.'
'You think I don't know that...? Ugh, whatever. Drop it.'
'Then stop psyching yourself out and do it right. You're messing up because the guy who could kill it keeps choking.'
'I said drop it! And don't talk to me anymore, Kim Kwang-myeong! You're annoying!'
'What? Ha, I'm speechless. Hey, Ha Jae. You stay away from me too.'
So Kim Kwang-myeong and Ha Jae fought a ton.
Even after being put in the debut lineup together, the lingering grudges from those fights kept them from being as close as before.
'Both of us are too stubborn...'
Still, he was secretly thrilled to be in the debut group with him.
Then the unfortunate accident hit Ha Jae.
Hearing that he'd hit his head wrong and lost all his memories was devastating.
He'd figured that after debuting together, they'd patch things up and get close again like old times.
But with amnesia, getting kicked from the debut lineup was inevitable.
'It wasn't just me—the other members were heartbroken too.'
Go Eun-young and Han Tae-hee, sitting right behind him now, had been total downers during practice for a while after hearing about Lee Jae's accident.
But Ha Jae reappeared with amnesia and magically reclaimed his spot in the debut group, completely transformed.
Even now, it sometimes felt surreal. Could losing your memories really change a person that much?
The before-and-after was so stark that it was hard to adjust at times. The old Ha Jae couldn't speak as fluidly as he did now, nor stand on stage without any nerves.
Despite having solid skills and a natural tone, he'd always tense up way too much in live settings, never showing his full potential, and it'd frustrate him. That Ha Jae was gone. Now there was just...
- Stars shining bright in the night sky
What a wonderful dots spreaded all around
I can see you through those star dusts
Cause I'm hanging around upon the sky
...EverPlanet's lead vocalist, Lee Jae, making scary progress by fully leveraging his natural tone.
'Well, he still quietly sits and reads books like always.'
Kim Kwang-myeong stopped the MR playback and saved the part Ha Jae had sung.
He pressed the red button on the table to speak into the recording booth.
"Okay. We'll keep this part as is. Next section."
-Got it.
Ha Jae replied and closed his eyes again, focusing.
He continued singing along to the flowing MR.
- I wonder in stars wondering about you
I wonder about the moments
that we could have been together
Definitely a great voice.
As a producer, Kim Kwang-myeong loved Ha Jae's voice.
Voices like that are one in a million.
- I still wonder about
the stars, the moon
the twilight and the dawn
With his improving vocals peaking lately, plus his unique falsetto, it made for a really pleasant listen.
The only downside was that he still hadn't fully captured the original's deep emotion.
'Still, this is impressive.'
Kim Kwang-myeong nodded approvingly at the recording.
After repeating the process a few times, they passed verse two and reached the highlight part.
The most crucial section of the song.
The explosion of melancholy, the climax of the track.
- Everything in the sky
Everything in this world
Everything inside of me
I know it's all about you uh uh oh-!
Ha Jae tilted his head back slightly and belted the high note.
Clean as could be, no frills.
'He's nailing it.'
Kim Kwang-myeong chuckled. How had a guy who could do this struggled so much before?
Then Han Tae-hee, who'd been quietly listening behind him, clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Wow. Jae's killing it."
"Yeah. Ha Jae hyung's improved a ton."
Go Eun-young nodded in agreement.
Han Tae-hee poked at her teasingly with a sly tone.
"You'll catch up soon, huh?"
"...Guess I gotta work harder too."
Go Eun-young pouted and pulled out her phone from her pocket, fiddling with it.
Ha Jae went straight into the final verse.
- I'll wonder of you 'til the end
What a wonder in stars
What a wonder in stars...
The song faded out gradually, like a dimming light.
The emotional wrap-up was spot-on. Clear signs of heavy practice.
'Compared to before, he's flying high. That feels good, at least.'
Amnesiac Ha Jae. Losing his memories was a shame.
But thinking it gave him wings made it feel like a silver lining in a way. And...
'Because he lost his memories, we've gotten a bit close again.'
The old Ha Jae never would've chosen to learn composing from him.
Anyway, Kim Kwang-myeong was really enjoying this time. In more ways than one.
With that thought, he called out a satisfied okay.
* * *
After finishing the recording, I shot the video version like Go Eun-young had.
It was just singing into the mic one more time, nothing too hard.
I got the final okay from Kim Kwang-myeong and was catching my breath when—
Poof! A blue window popped up in front of me.
What the. What's up.
The blue window started displaying lines one by one from the top, with a rapid drumroll effect sound.
['Ha Jae' System Self-Evaluation Scorecard
Song: Wonder in Stars – Caren Wonder
Overall: Your vocal technique, honed to a fine edge, seems to have reached a solid peak. The first verse chorus, smoothly transitioning between falsetto and chest voice, and the highlight high note that rings through the listener's ears were especially outstanding.
However, you're still about 2% short of perfectly conveying the song's thick emotion. Don't forget: only when dynamics, rubato, vibrato, and tone all blend seamlessly with the lyrics does a perfect song emerge.
Total Score: 91 points]
[SUB QUEST [For a Successful Open] completed.]
[Click the button to claim your reward. Click!]
Whoa. Barely made it.
Considering the 90-point threshold, I'd scraped by with just one point.
I had no idea about the grading criteria, but... it lined up pretty well with what I thought. Anyway, cleared it.
Pushing aside my lingering unease, I clicked the reward button.
[Experience gained.]
[EverPlanet fame increased.]
Huh? That's it?
I swear there was a 'SPECIAL REWARD' in the rewards. Or was there?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the system pinged again.
[SPECIAL REWARD is a special buff for specific situations, revealed at specific times.]
Special buff for certain situations? What's that mean.
Anyway, it meant no special reward reveal right now.
I narrowed my eyes at the fading blue window.
Man, this system pisses me off sometimes.
After wrapping the cover song recording and video, we sent the audio—post Kim Kwang-myeong's mixing—and video to the company, then headed back to the dorm.
A bit later, Park Su-rim's phone buzzed as she returned from shooting Teddy's dance cover. Call from CEO Oh.
"Hello, CEO Oh."
Park Su-rim greeted and switched to speaker.
CEO Oh's voice boomed through the phone.
-Yeah, Su-rim. I checked the cover videos you guys sent.
"Oh, you did, sir?"
-I told them to send them to me too when they hit the company. Anyway, great job. All three of you nailed it.
We thanked him together, and he ended the call with some encouragement to keep it up.
Park Su-rim pocketed her phone.
"You guys must've done great too. Can't wait."
"They were both awesome. Get hyped."
"Coming from you, Tae-hee hyung, makes me even more excited."
A few days later, a new channel appeared on L-Tube.
Three videos uploaded to the channel named 'PLANET STUDIO'.
Cover videos we'd each shot and edited.
A few days after that.
Something no one saw coming happened.